1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an artificial visco-elastic, constrained motion disc for replacing intervertebral discs in the lower back, particularly in the lumbar and lumbar-sacral regions.
2. Background
The human spine is composed of many vertebral bones stacked one upon the other, with an intervertebral disc between each pair of adjacent vertebral bones. The discs act as cartilaginous cushions and shock absorbers. The spinal cord runs in a bony canal formed by successive openings in these bones. The spinal nerves exit the spinal cord between pairs of vertebrae and supply nerves and nerve signals to and from other body structures.
The intervertebral disc is a complex joint both anatomically and functionally. It is composed of three component structures: the nucleus pulposus; the annulus fibrosus, and the vertebral endplates. The biomedical composition and anatomical arrangements within these component structures are related to the biomechanical function of the disc.
The nucleus pulposus, occupying about 25% to 40% of the total disc cross-sectional area, usually contains approximately 70% to 90% water by weight. Because of this high water content, the nucleus may be mechanically described as an incompressible hydrostatic material.
The annulus fibrosus is a concentrically laminated structure which contains highly aligned collagen fibers and fibrocartilage embedded in an amorphous ground substance. The annular layers are oriented at approximately +/−60° to the longitudinal axis of the spine. The annulus fibrosus usually contains approximately 8 to 12 layers, and is mechanically the main stabilizing structure which resists torsional and bending forces applied to the disc.
The two vertebral endplates separate the disc from the adjacent vertebral bodies, and are composed of hyaline cartilage.
Spinal discs may be damaged or displaced due to trauma or disease. In either case, the nucleus pulposus may herniate and protrude into the vertebral canal or intervertebral foramen. This condition is known as a herniated or “slipped” disc. The disc may in turn press upon the spinal nerve that exits the vertebral canal through the partially obstructed foramen, causing pain or paralysis in the area of its distribution. The most frequent site of occurrence of a herniated disc is in the lower lumbar region. To alleviate this condition, two procedures are common.
First, it may be necessary to remove the involved disc surgically and fuse the two adjacent vertebrae together. Spinal fusion is a good method of eliminating symptoms, but at the expense of total loss of motion of the fused vertebral joint, as well as increased stress in the adjacent segments. In many long-term patients of fused-spinal segments, a detrimental phenomenon has been observed whereby discs adjacent to the fused-spinal segment will have increased motion and stress due to the increased stiffness of the fused segment. This is sometimes referred to as “cascading spine syndrome,” where previously normal motion segments above or below a fused segment exhibit spondylolisthesis, or degenerative disc disease due to increased loading.
A second method for alleviating disc problems is insertion of an intervertebral disc replacement. The object of an intervertebral disc replacement is to provide a prosthetic disc that combines both stability to support the high loads of the patient's vertebrae and flexibility to provide the patient with sufficient mobility and proper spinal column load distribution. In attempting to satisfy these competing design requirements, basically four types of artificial intervertebral discs have been developed: elastomer discs, ball and socket discs, mechanical spring discs, and hybrid discs.
Elastomer discs typically include an elastomer cushion which is sandwiched between upper and lower rigid endplates. Elastomer discs can provide cushion or damping functions similar in mechanical behavior to the removed intervertebral disc tissue. However, known elastomer discs experience long-term in-vivo problems stemming from micro-cracking, fixation problems with respect to the endplates, insufficient compression and torsional resistance, and excessive motion which can lead to bulging of the replacement disc and resultant pain for the patient. One hypothesis for the failures of previous elastomer based disc designs is the unlimited potential for strain. High load in vivo events cause subsequent changes in structural characteristics of the elastomer, a characteristic called the Mullins effect. After initial stress softening effects are accounted for, a stable stress strain curve is reached. However, if a new load cycle is encountered exceeding the previous peak strain, the structural properties will again change. This is the rationale for the failure of previous elastomer disc designs and the inspiration for new motion-limited designs.
Ball and socket discs typically incorporate two plate members having cooperating inner ball and socket portions allowing an articulating motion of the members during movement of the spine. These types of discs generally restore spinal motion, but inadequately replicate the natural stiffness of the intervertebral disc. Furthermore, dislocation and wear problems exist with these devices as well as unsatisfactory motion limiting components. Some types also comprise polymers in conjunction with metallic components.
For example, a Link Charite disc includes polyethylene/cobalt chrome molybdenum (CCM) construction. This design restores motion, but in a very unphysiologic manner. The design is essentially a ball and socket joint which does not provide the nonlinear elastic response of the normal disc including hysteresis and therefore shock absorption. As in hip replacements this design is subject to wear and polyethylene debris complications. This disc, which has been extensively implanted in Europe and the United States, relies on a relatively incompressible ultra high molecular weight polyethylene center mating with concave surfaces in cobalt chrome upper and lower endplates. The mating surfaces provide a low friction pseudo ball-socket joint with motion constraints in compression and anterior-posterior as well as lateral translation. The device is totally unconstrained in rotation about its axis, and in tension. Though this device has a semi successful in vivo history, it lacks fundamental stress strain characteristics of the normal disc. Instead, it provides low friction, high movement, non-energy absorbing kinematic function restoration to the spine motion segment. The disc is designed to move freely until limits of travel are reached. The stopping action provided is very abrupt and thus loads the vertebral endplate in a shock-like manner at end-of-travel. This disc imitates a free moving ball and socket joint, not a natural disc that behaves very elastically until annulus fibers play the role of a “limiter”. A natural disc is load sharing between the elastic elements and fibrous tissue limiters.
Mechanical spring discs, which generally have only two or three degrees of freedom, typically incorporate one or more coiled springs disposed between metal endplates. These discs generally allow movement of the vertebrae during flexion and extension. However, these types have significant wear problems, as well as problems dealing with in-vivo torsional loads, and overall these discs cannot replicate the six-degree of freedom movement of a natural intervertebral disc.
Hybrid types of discs generally incorporate two or more principals of any of the aforementioned disc types. For example, one common hybrid disc arrangement includes a ball and socket set surrounded by a non-adhered elastomer ring. This hybrid disc is more complex than would be preferred for common usage, and more importantly, the intermittent contact between the ball socket and the elastomer ring that occasionally occurs in-vivo causes critical wear problems.
It is to be recognized that an artificial disc constructed with a polymer between two metal endplates undergoes compression as a result of both gravity and patient activities requiring exertion of energy. Therefore, ideally a disc would include a means of protecting the polymer and the possible bond joint between polymer and metal. Mechanical stops and motion-limiters can be added to maintain the integrity of the prosthesis. Such structures can take the form of rods, tension cables, or other connectors, as well as metal-to-metal contact in compression, to name but a few examples. Moreover, it would be beneficial for a disc also to include a means to convey to surgeons and to patients the actual state of the loads experienced by the device.
As a result, the need exists for an artificial intervertebral disc that more closely imitates a natural disc. This means that the artificial disc should maintain the vertebrae spaced from each other and prevent pinching of nerves or spinal cord. The artificial disc should provide good load distribution. Furthermore, the artificial disc should be sufficiently resilient to accommodate other motions of the spine, including flexion, extension, lateral bending, and rotation, as well as combinations of these motions. In humans, the bony facet joints actually limit the rotational movement. A disc typically need only rotate approximately three degrees. Moreover, the disc should provide restorative force to bias toward the resting position. The artificial disc should be both biocompatible and biostable such that the disc itself or any of its degradation byproducts, if any, do not cause adverse tissue reactions. Ideally, through the use of strain gauges or other means of force transduction, the disc can also provide stored or real-time data to the surgeon and the patient regarding the state of the loads and displacements experienced by the disc.